House damaged

CRIME WATCH

firebomb suspected

October 20, 2006|By Mary Gail Hare

The Harford County Sheriff's Office and the state fire marshal are investigating a suspected firebombing Wednesday night that caused about $60,000 in damage to an Edgewood home where drugs were later found.

Fire officials found remnants of "some type of home-fashioned device designed to start a fire" that probably was thrown in through the living room window of the home on Lily Pond Court, said W. Faron Taylor, deputy state fire marshal.

Fire investigators notified police after finding drugs, including a marijuana plant, and paraphernalia in the home.

An elderly man and his 9-year-old granddaughter were in the home at the time of the fire, which was reported at 7:12 p.m. The child heard a crashing sound and discovered the fire in the living room.

The homeowner, Leonard G. Heff, 82, and the child escaped from the split-level house unharmed, but the family's two dogs were killed. Police declined to release information on other residents of the home.

The first floor sustained heavy damage, Taylor said.

"The home will need substantial repair before it can be reoccupied," he said.

Anyone with information about the incident can call the arson hot line, 800-492-7529.